Lesson 3

Excellent Spreadsheets

The use of spreadsheets or even databases is at an optimum in today’s education climate. The focus on accountability, higher test scores and improving school performance means that more data is being collected and analyzed. With advances in technology there is improved functionality in many types of programs in order to analyze areas of strengths, improvements and identify trends. It does appear that school systems do operate on data and use the data to govern learning. It has progressed to such an extent that eh power of data collection and analysis now rests in the hand s of the classroom teacher.

In this lesson we are simply going to look at a sample of data analysis (gradebook analysis) and then investigate ways data is collected and managed at the classroom and even school level. Then as a group we will map out some processes and then finally apply some tools and functions to these processes in order to improve data management. This objective of this lesson is to build comfort in collecting and managing data, applying the lessons learned in order to improve teaching and learning. The focus of the lesson is not to train participants in the functions and use s of using a spreadsheet or a database.

Some links that will be useful:
Classrooms that Excel resources http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/class/excel_resources.htm
Spreadsheets for schools http://www.amphi.com/~psteffen/spreadsheet2.html

For this project, you will use one or two out of three of the following:

Excel Spreadsheet (Rates and Analysis) Create a management application for your classroom. This could be an electronic gradebook or spreadsheet to keep track one of the processes in your classroom (such as student's test scores, textbooks, band uniforms, etc.). If you are currently a teacher, you may use your real class(es). If you do not wish to use your real students or you are not currently a teacher, you may make up students and assignments. The model for this project is the use of a spreadsheet for data collection. (much like a database)

You have two options for this project:

You may create one realistic gradebook or management application that is approximately the complexity of a gradebook; i.e. include all the information you would keep in a paper gradebook for an entire marking period.
You may create a management applications to collect data and analyse it using some of the features of excel as discussed in class. Write a description of your application.===Assignment:=== * If you create a gradebook/management application in an Excel database, you must include at least one sort, one search, and one report, all of which should be named with appropriate names.* If you create a management application in Excel, you must include at least one graph or chart* If you create an Access database, you must include at least one query that sorts and at least one query that selects.

If you use a gradebook program, you must explore some of the features of that program that are not available in the other programs and describe what you have done with the program.
Fields or cells should be of the correct type to hold the data that is in them (e.g., don't put a number in a text field).
Columns should be wide enough to see all the data in them and not too wide to take up more of the screen than is necessary.
For option 2, you should compare and contrast the various features of the programs that you use. Different programs will allow you to do different things more or less easily. You might find that in some of the programs it is impossible to do some things you normally do. You should discuss this in your paper. Gradebook programs generally have a particular grading philosophy (that might not fit your philosophy). Try to understand this philosophy and describe it.